


Angry, Painful Song

by JACKoatACEon



Category: Knockaround Guys (2001)
Genre: Bar Room Brawl, Childishness, Fights, Fluff, M/M, Neediness, Temper Tantrums, kind of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-11
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2018-01-11 22:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1178654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JACKoatACEon/pseuds/JACKoatACEon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has that moment where they just need to vent all that bottled up emotion. Well, this is Matty's moment, and, of course, Taylor is there to pick him up (literally and figuratively). The title is part of a line from the song Wicked Twisted Road by Reckless Kelly which makes me think of Matty/Taylor for some reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angry, Painful Song

Matty Demaret, professional smoothtalker, lets his gift of gab get a bit too out of hand when whiskey is involved. It wasn’t to say that he was a bad fighter, it was just that he had a bit more bark than bite, and he normally had to rely on someone to pick him up off the bar floor sticky with spilled beer and God knows what else. That person was usually Taylor Reese. Taylor would dust off his sometimes bloody friend and take him outside to cool off.

Well, it had been a night just like any other in that regard except that Matty was more heated than usual. Family matters had been weighing on him a lot lately and he needed to vent it out on someone. That someone happened to be the guy sitting next to Matty at the bar that was two sizes too big and two times too mean. Matty’s nose wasn’t broken, but it was bleeding by the time that Taylor led him out to the back parking lot to cool off.

The van was parked under the only street light in the lot and it was illuminating the mist that was falling and seeming to hang in the humid air of that summer night. Taylor was letting Matty blow off steam the way a mother sometimes lets her child have that one, long temper tantrum. Matty looked similar to a small child now: red face, breathing heavy, angry tears streaming down his face.

Matty wiped the blood away from under his lip using the sleeve of his leather jacket as he paced under the dirty yellow glow of the street light. Taylor was standing a few feet away from him and leaning against the driver’s side door of his van.

“You know, you don’t have to come running up to me like my mom all the God damned time. I can take care of myself, damnit!” Matty pushed Taylor up against the van, Taylor letting himself be pushed.

“I don’t need you,” Matty continued, jabbing a finger in Taylor’s beefy chest.

“I’m sorry,” Taylor said sincerely.

“Don’t—is that all? Is that all you’re going to say?” Matty said, practically yelling at this point. He pushed Taylor again as if to test him, but Taylor, again, did nothing in the way of retaliation.

Matty stopped in front of him, chest heaving with labored breath. “Are you done?” Taylor asked.

“You’re not my fucking parent,” Matty said. His voice was no longer raised, but it still came out sharp and angry. “I. Don’t. Need. You,” he said, jabbing his finger into Taylor’s chest again with every word.

“You said that already.”

“I don’t need you,” Matty repeated, hot tears began to run down his face again.

“I know.”

“I don’t _fucking_ —” Matty took a step towards Taylor and pinched the bridge of his nose as if it would get him to stop crying. The blood from his nose mixed with sweat from the humidity and the tears made him look like even more of a mess.

Taylor grabbed his friend by the shoulders and pulled him close. Matty slammed his fist into the van in a spot right next to Taylor’s side. Matty squirmed a bit but Taylor kept him in tight.

“—need you. I need you,” Matty choked out between quiet sobs.

“I’m right here."

 


End file.
